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best way to sleep on flight over

I haven't flown overnight to Europe in years - I've never been a good airplane sleeper. I would appreciate any and all suggestions for the best way to get good sleep on the flight over so we arrive with minimal exhaustion. thanks.

Ambien works great for me. I get 4-5 hours of sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to go. Make sure you test it at home before you go. A friend tried ambien for the first time on the plane and it knocked her out for about 10 hours.

Another vote for a sleeping pill. I can't even sleep well in my own bed, let alone on an airplane; so it's a necessity. I also bring a sachet stuffed with fresh lavender and keep it near my face. It sounds silly and it may even be a psychosomatic placebo, but who cares as it really does help me relax. (Plus, it can mask unpleasant smells nearby.)

As someone who works international flights everyweek,please be careful in taking a sleeping pill for the flight.
I have had people take the pill as soon as we got on the flight only to have a mechanical or weather problem with cancellation and we couldn't get them up.
Don't take a pill if you are at an emergency as you will be NO HELP if I need you if you are comatose.

To add to what dutyfree says you should do a "practice run" with whatever you take, even if just a benadryl. I also don't take the pill until after takeoff, because if something survivable is going to happen, that is the likely time and I want to be prepared for an emergency exit. I take xanax because I do not wake up groggy from it.

I have taken Ambien and our flight did not take off and I was able to get up without a problem.

So, I recommend it and outside of the package insert, with a glass of red wine.

I don't recommend Xanax, it's not meant for sleep but for anxiety.

Melatonin doesn't work well enough for me, but I do take it at home, but it's not foolproof for me.

Ambien CR does leave me feeling more groggy than the original and it has a longer half life because of its controlled release formula, so again I prefer regular Ambien.

Don't eat too much before you take it...a big fatty meal makes it harder to sleep and can slow the release of the drug.
I highly recommend ear plugs and any other thing that will help you be comfortable in those awful seats.

Benadryl, melatonin and sominex don't cut it for me. Also, many antihistamines and earlier sleep meds can be very drying (which the plane is already anyway).

The Xanex works better for me because I just can't sit for that long, it calms down my antsyness, sleeping pills haven't worked at all for me and I'm afraid to take more than one because of the reasons stated above, but I haven't a problem taking more than one xanax...to each their own.

I have a cockamamy theory on not sleeping on planes, no matter what you take. I've heard that the airplane is pressurized at 8000 ft, I believe that people who suffer from altitude sicknes (me) can't sleep for this reason. I've never been able to sleep on ski trips, even when we stay at an elevation of 6500ft and take a sleeping pill.

I try never to sit in my seat for over 2 hours. Having had a DVT I like to get up and move aroud. Havng said that, even if I get NO sleep at all I never get jet lag going , just coming home. I do od off naturally for short periods

I'm a side sleeper and I need to lean my head on something in order to fall asleep in a mostly sitting position. I bought a couple plastic popcorn cups (about 8 inches tall) and put them upside down on the armrest next to the window. I put my arm on the cups and my head in my hand, leaned against the bulkhead and I was out for the entire flight. This was the best sleep I ever had and I will continue to use my popcorn cup method.

I get a pretty decent doze with some periods of actual sleep with the following: Neck pillow, glass of wine, pashmina, headphones plugged into mp3 player with relaxing music.

The pashmina goes loosely over my head and then draped around my body - I find that this gives me the feeling of privacy without being heavy and hot (and germy) like a blanket. The music helps drown out any distracting sounds plus it is just enough to entertain me when I wake up that I can generally doze off again or at least veg out.

Having had a severe reaction to (supposedly mild herbal) sleeping tablets on a long haul flight, where I ended up unconcious on the galley floor with an oxygen mask over my face, I would caution against taking these things. I can usually sleep quite well unaided in business, but economy is more difficult if not impossible.

I always wear light clothing as the planes are usually over-heated, drink plenty of fluid and maybe just a glass of wine, and wear noise-reduction headphones playing some ambient music from my MP4. But... if you can't sleep, there's no point fighting it, just read a bok or doze with your eyes shut - one sleepless night is hardly the enormous problem some people make it out to be.

wow, thanks everyone. I use melatonin and benedryl at home and they work well, but I haven't had much luck on airplanes. I may ask my Dr. for an ambien prescription and try it at home to see how I feel, and I love the pashmina and headphone ideas. will also be cautious about when I take whatever, and also eat before boarding - really love this "community" thanks.

I'm in the anti-drug crowd. Just doesn't sit well with me. I do take a few motrin - does that count ?

I try to eat a light meal before we board, take out my contacts before we board, and just generally wind down. I wear a hooded sweatshirt and pull the hood up and use that as my "mental block" from stimulation. It has worked for both me and the kids...

good luck!

(ps, my best advice is for the day you arrive... spend as much of it outside and being active. Take a long walk or do something fun outside. Your body will feel much better this way!)

I take Ativan 0.5 mg, one or two. I never really sleep on planes but I may squeeze out an hour or two with Ativan if I am lucky. At least I am calm even if I am not sleeping (I need this if only to suppress the urge to harm my sleeping husband who is snoringt before the plane leaves the ground, lol).

Ambien or Ambien CR don't work for me so I don't take them on a plane. They leave me more "drugged" than just Ativan and a kind of restlessness which you don't need on a plane.

I like Ativan because it is longer lasting than Xanax. Xanax might work quicker, but Ativan has a slow build up and I feel sleepy in about 1-1/2 hrs after two pills.

I don't ever sleep on long-haul flights, unless I have two or three open seats and can stretch out (hardly ever happens), and I don't take drugs. I just tough it out, doze as much as I can, get up and stretch a couple of times, and arrive with a major dose of optimism that I'll be so excited to be in Europe that I'll make it through the day. I get as much sunlight and exercise as I can the first day, keep moving, eat lightly, take regular breaks for a coffee or tea or cool drink, take a shower in the late afternoon, go out for a light and early dinner, and tuck myself in bed by 10 pm at the latest the first night. I'm fine for the rest of the trip.

Replying a little late here, but in the past I've taken regular Dramamine (for air sickness), which happens to have ingredients that cause drowsiness. It kills two birds with one stone for an overnight flight and works a charm.

Sometimes I'm tired enough though that a simple eye mask and ear plugs work wonders.

I'm a very light sleeper, and it's very difficult for me to get to sleep, even in good conditions. It's awful on a plane. However, earplugs, making sure I'm hydrated (to avoid jet lag), eyeshades, and either melatonin or (if that doesn't work) xanax or benadryl.

Keep in mind that both Atavan and Xanax are benzidiazepines and as such have a wide range of side effects that are potentiated by alcohol, so skip the wine and see your doc first before taking. People who should not be taking these drugs include pregnant and lactating women. If you have sleep apnea know that benzodiazapines are CNS depressents and could make the apnea worse while it is in your system. Side effects become more common as you move into your senior years. One more caveat, if taking these drugs to sleep on the flight and are renting a car, be a passenger, not the driver for a day.

I vote for sleeping pill and alcohol. It always does the trick...not too much! And NO coffee or cola. Ear plugs, neck pillow, eye mask, remove shoes (I always wear birki's for flying as they are easy on and easy off), loose clothing. Keep a bottle of water at your seat so you don't have to get up or wait for one. Aisle seat always. And eat that dinner! It's too long and you don't want to wake up starving and have to wait for them to serve bkfst. It helps if you get on the plane tired out, so get up early and go for a walk before the airport.

I was interested to see the comment re Ativan, as I think it's the drug I used many years ago to help me through a very stressful time - divorce. It certainly worked for me then, but I would have never thought of it as a one-time sleeping aid on an airplane! And I don't think my doctor would prescribe it for that, as it's an anti-anxiety pill.

Anyway, I agree with St. Cirq's comments, as I never sleep on the plane either and would never take a sleeping pill to do so. I spend time walking around at my destination, don't nap, and try desperately to stay awake until 10:00 PM. Never have jet lag the next day.
However, I do after I get home. Maybe that's because the old routine isn't nearly as exciting and fun as Paris (or whereever)!

The thing that would most help me sleep on long haul overnight flights would be a pistol. I'd use it to pop off the ass who waits until I just manage to drop off to head down the isle using the backs of the seats to haul him/her self along. Some of them really give the seat a jerk, and a sleeper risks whiplash, as well as a sleepless night.

Sorry for the rant, but it's one of my pet peeves, along with seat back kickers in the theater. It is so easy to steady oneself with a hand on the overhead bins, rather than disturbing the sleeper wanna-bees.

Nukesafe....I so agree...people are so clueless about using other people's seats. I have had my hair pulled more times than I can count. You should be able to walk up and down the aisles without using seats to pull your self along...I will give a pass to those with physical issues that require some help to move in a plane. But usually, it's just clueless, thoughtless half-wits. Glad to know someone else feels my pain. (I also hate gum-poppers too !

Valid point, november_moon, but if you are that tiny you could reach way up and grab the arm rests.

I also understand that you have to grab anything handy to steady yourself when the plane is bouncing around ---- but few people are sleeping when that is happening. It is the inconsiderate slob that jerks the seat backs just to move forward that gets my goat.

I actually had a nose to nose confrontation once with a chap who was literally doing exercises in the isle while waiting his turn for the bathroom. He had a hand on each seat back, and was vigorously swaying back and forth like he was rowing a boat.

I'm more of a mess when I get home. Even though I can sleep more easily sleep on the plane. I think it's because when I get home I'm so happy to see the pets and be home that I didn't usually get out and take a really long walk like I do when I arrive.

The last time we flew in to LAX and drove home from there so I was ready for a long walk after being in the car for an hour, I felt the jet lag release quickly.

I've been thinking of getting one of these for my next flight.
Has anyone tried it?

I also use Xanax as mentioned by several others. It is not a sleeping pill per se, rather an anti-anxiety med. I still don't get "a good night's sleep". Personally for me that is impossible on an overnight flight. I've never really slept on a plane. But it does help me doze off now and then. I use the airline provided headphones and listen to music to dull the cabin noise.

nukesafe, the other one that bugs me is when people pull on the seat in front of them to stand up. I understand some people have bad knees or don't have the leg strength, but man, they really tug the seat backwards when they yank on it!

Sometime around age 40 I went from totally bored flyer to terrified. My doctor prescribed Ativan which worked wonders for me--I was relaxed and able to read through the flight again. We usually fly non-stop because my worst fear is take off (don't ask, it's not logical) however in 2003 got such an amazing deal to London that I agreed to a change of planes at JFK. After an emotional experience going through security in JFK I took another Ativan and slept from NY to LA. DH was very concerned for me because the flight suffered a lot of turbulence--I snoozed right through it.

Yes the flight attendants should really enforce keeping seats upright during meal service--some do at least make mention of it. However, if it is an overnight flight, everyone has the right to put their seat back.
Please use arm rests to push yourself up and not the seat back--I hate having my hair pulled too!

My partner LOVED that inflatable body pillow on our last flight to Italy. Me, I just can't sleep on a flight, except for the one time I flew first class, and I woke up with terrible motion sickness for some reason! Which was embarrassing, because I was a flight attendant at the time(not on that flight though, LOL!)

Ohhh, one other time I fell asleep. I had mild hives for some reason, so I took a benadryl. Fell asleep, and woke up feeling like I was sufffocating!! Dry nose, dry mouth...absolutely terrible! Wouldn't recommend for sleep LOL

Am I the only one who flies east to west with no jet lag?? We fly from Europe to San Francisco, I never get sleep on that plane ride, get home, unpack, take my magazines to bed and read and sleep till the next morning, I feel just fine. I never have jet lag coming home..just the opposite of most people.

As to it's not the worst thing in the world to not get any sleep on the plane, I disagree. It feels like I pulled an all nighter, I feel terribly "hung over" and can't really function to go out and walk around and enjoy anything. I'm probably one of the few that gets to Europe and crashes until the next day, doesn't really matter what time I arrive, I'm in bed in the afternoon and can sleep through till the next morning, then I feel great.

I was on a plane recently that the seats didn't recline, either new or broken, don't know which, it was HEAVEN...
If someone puts their seat back immediately in my face I do the tray slam enough to irritate them, like you K, it gives me some satisfaction. I always ask the stew to ask them to put it up during meals, I think they need to hear it from the crew, not me!

LSky, I have the body pillow as well as the "first class sleeper"---anything to get a little sleep on a transatlantic flight. http://tinyurl.com/4xdbj7s

I've used the body pillow flying to Europe and have gotten a fair amount of sleep on three trips out of four. I take the window seat and try to prop myself against the window. I'm a stomach sleeper usually so if I can get any sleep on a plane I consider that a good flight.

The first class sleeper is bulkier and I was too warm using it on the one international trip but I like it for long driving trips. I just got back from Asheville, 9 hours in a non reclining back seat and I managed to not go stir crazy thanks in part to the "first class sleeper".

I'm going to use the body pillow again when we go to Barcelona in May, but I might try Tylenol PM for the first time on this trip. I take it at home but have been reluctant to use it during a long flight. Hope you can find something that works for you, Deborah

Drugs only mask the issue. You need to get your body on the "right time" BEFORE going. So...you go to bed 1 hr early, get up 1 hr early...then 2 hrs..etc..in the week before going.
When you get on the plane, your body will be telling you "it's time to go to bed". Drugs cannot do this, and your body will still need to adjust its internal clock if you did take something

Thanks Deborah Ann. I don't really sleep on planes but I can "zone out" pretty well. I think I'll give the body pillow a try.

Michel_Paris, that sounds like a really good plan. I usually try to get up a couple of hours early on flight day but conditioning ahead of time makes sense. Thanks

If I ever start adding up discomforts on an airplane, I like to remember that my great,great grandparents came to America on a boat that took about 3 weeks. They didn't look back. It didn't matter how much they missed their families or way of life. They weren't going to go back to Germany, ever. I have the luxury of returning again and again to where ever I want. Jet lag is nothing

Drugs only mask the issue. You need to get your body on the "right time" BEFORE going. So...you go to bed 1 hr early, get up 1 hr early...then 2 hrs..etc..in the week before going.
When you get on the plane, your body will be telling you "it's time to go to bed". Drugs cannot do this, and your body will still need to adjust its internal clock if you did take something

Actually drugs are quite practical, assuming they help you sleep. The long-haul traveler faces two issues. The first is the possibility of losing a night's sleep. Drugs can help that.

The second issue is jet lag, which results from disruptions to the circadian rhythm. Fixing this is not nearly as simple as waking up earlier, as it depends upon light cycles. This is similar to the challenges one faces in adjusting their body's clock in extreme latitudes during summer. One really needs to employ a light box and blackout mask, if they want to effectively combat jet lag. Frankly, the effort doesn't seem worthwhile.

Susanna, I get very little to no jet lag on the way east to Europe, and none on the way back. Like Michel says, the best plan is to go to sleep earlier each night before you go to train your body to the right sleeping time. I usually try to get to bad around 7-8pm the night before a flight. Don't know if I can do that this time, as we will be driving up to the airport the night before, after a full day at work, but I'm going to try. Certainly I will do so the nights before. AND we have a very full and tiring travel day (with a long layover in Newark) to tucker me out

GreenDragon, Not everyone can just fall asleep whenever they want to. There's no way on earth I could just go to bed "around 7-8pm" and actually fall asleep at that time the night before a flight (or any other night).

Some people can sleep more easily than others. Some people have never slept on a plane and probably never will (me).

Not sure if anybody's mentioned it, or if it's applicable to the OP at all, but our answer to "How do you sleep on the plane going to Europe?" is the same as our answer for "How can I reduce/eliminate jetlag?"

Fly during the daytime. Take a morning departure from Chicago, Boston, New York, Newark or Washington that arrives (in London) in the evening. Get a cheap hotel near Heathrow, sleep in a real bed, and get up the next morning as if you spent the night there. Oh wait. You did.

If you're going on to the continent, there are plenty of flights leaving in the morning or mid-day, and usually airfares involving a connection in London are virtually the same price as nonstops to some other destination (Paris, for instance.) However, if you're going to a second-tier city - say Lyon, or Provence, or somewhere like Strasbourg or Brittany, you can fly straight there from London, in essence swapping your Paris connection (or Zurich or Amsterdam or...) for a London one.

It doesn't work terribly well if you're starting on the west coast, since you can't get to Chicago or the east coast in time for the morning departures (without taking a red-eye, which sort of defeats the purpose) however if you can take the time to fly on day 1 to, say, NYC, then day 2 to London, I suspect you'll find as we do that it knocks jetlag way, way down. That leads to more productive (i.e. awake) time spent visiting, rather than wandering around the first day like a zombie waiting for your hotel to let you collapse onto the bed.

You wanna hear something more tragic? I slept through dinner woke up and complained to my wife that flying economy class was getting really stingy when they don't serve meals on long haul flights. "They have served it and you slept through it" was her sleep deprived reply

suze, it's VERY hard for me to sleep, even in good conditions, so going to sleep earlier than normal is difficult, as well. However, getting up earlier each morning does tend to make me sleepier earlier - which is why I work on it the whole week before. By the time I leave, getting up at 3am means I am sleepy by 8pm

wow, who would have thought this would be such a controversial and interesting discussion.!

I will definitely try to get my husband on board with the go to bed earlier that week plan...we'll see, he hates to give up his nighttime TV

L- sky - cuddly doesn't seem silly to me at all, quite the contrary,

and I couldn't agree more with what you said so eloquently about your great grandparents. when one thinks of the hardships that people used to go through to travel one night of sleeplessness is a small price to pay. thanks for the perspective !

Can you stand one more comment on drugs? My poor husband tried it all - adjusting his clock starting a week before the trip, alcohol, no alcohol, business class flat seat, otc drugs and even my Xanax (I was a fearful flyer). NOTHING worked until he tried Ambien. It IS a sleeping pill but for him it doesn't knock him out cold so he can't wake up, but rather when he does wake up (go to the bathroom, etc.) he can fall right back asleep. The Xanax did nothing for him because his problem was never anxiety. Ambien has helped him immensely - he did try it out ahead of time and I also make him take it for 2 more nights after we arrive in Europe. He gets maybe 4 hours sleep on the plane but that is way better than 0 and taking it for a few more nights helps him to settle into the time zone. He's fine after that.

But with any drug - ask your doctor & try it ahead of time. Wish I had done that with the Exedrin PM so I would know it only makes me hyper!

Whether or not you need or like drugs, it can become an issue when you rent a car right after arrival on a red-eye flight.
Depending on the respective jurisdiction, you will void your insurance and be treated as DUI in case of a major accident if sleeping drugs (or any drug that impairs driving capabilities) can still be traced at relevant levels. Could be worth to ask your doctor about it before you pop the pill.

TG,
Adjusting sleep cycles is a good way to gently move your body to a new circadian rhythm...assuming you also include darkness when going to bed early AND light when you get up early. Just getting up early and staying in the dark...not ideal.

For a long trip, I don't do much other than sleep..sort of..on plane. I just got back Monday from 3 weeks in Africa.

On a short trip, much more important. I read somewhere that it takes your body one day to 'regain' 1 hour of time. So on a week long trip the 'pain and scarifice' of going to bed early is well worth the effort

I understand completely how the week-long "easing into the new time zone" works, but it seems like an awful lot of hassle to go through when just one sleepless night and one day of toughing it out until 10 pm does the trick for me. Heck, it's not unknown for me to have a sleepless - or practically sleepless - night here at home when I'm not crossing time zones. It's no biggie - you're tired, you get through it, you're fine the next day. WAY easier, IMO, than a whole week of reorganizing my usual sleeping habits.

Start taking melatonin each night at bedtime the week before travel. When you start to roll down the runway for takeoff, take another. You should be awake long enough to enjoy your delicious gourmet inflight meal. You'll probably fall asleep right after that. No alcohol. Hit the ground running. No cat naps or booze until dinner that 1st night in Europe. By day two you'll be almost completely adjusted.

I take three trips to Europe each year and have been for the past ten years. This regime has worked perfectly for me and I was always a guy that couldn't sleep sitting upfright.

Laura, I don't think anyone suggested this , and it's not for everyone: Do NOt sleep the night before your flight. It works especially well if you have a morning flight.
The only way i can sleep on planes is if I've gone without sleep for at least the last 18 hours. If that happens, the minute the plane lifts off, I'm out like a light.

For those who use medication to sleep on a flight, do you do so if you are in other than a window seat - that is, if your row neighbor will have to crawl over your probably unresponsive body to get to the aisle? How do you handle that?

worldinabag- the one time I used a sleep medication on a flight -it was Ambien and I had an aisle seat - when dinner came around DW says that I woke up and ate it. I have no recollection of that. Maybe amnesia is the way to mitigate bad airline food.

A while back, DD left JFK for a flight to Tel Aviv, a long haul, and promptly upon boarding took dramamine that always knocks her out. After the flight was airborn for an hour when it turned back. She was thrilled that she slept the entire way only to realize that she was back where she started and half out of it.

Basingstoke, I always manage a window seat if I can, for that very reason - I'm such a light sleeper, even with drugs it takes me very long to get to sleep, especially if I'm re-awakened lots.

This trip we're taking in May, I will be up at 3am to get to the airport, have a very long (12 hour!) layover in Newark. We are having a friend take us out and about NYC to exhaust us, and they fly out to Ireland at 9:30pm. I'm hoping that, combined with sleeping earlier before the trip, will be enough to exhaust me.

Laura~ I've figure that out from past travel. I know I will be "useless the first two days" from jet lag. So I just factor that into my trip planning. And allow a lot of flex time the first couple days in case I need to take a nap or take it easy to make the adjustment.

We travel abroad 2-3 times per year. We usually start by having a carb loaded meal before we board and don't wait for dinner on plane, we use a neck pillow, blind folds for eyes, ear plugs, loose clothing like a warm up, warm socks or even compression socks for circulation, and an over the counter sleeping aid like Tylenol pm or dramamine.( try these out at home to see how they work for you) No alcohol it is to dehydrating, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated as well. We also take aspirin to help prevent DVT's. Then when we land have some strong coffee, hit the ground running no cat naps stay awake, keep hydrated so no alcohol again, have dinner and turn in early and then we're usually successful at avoiding jet lag

I find I am less bothered by jet lag now that I am in my early 60s than I was a decade ago. (There are benefits to aging. I don't get migraines any more, either.)

I can pretty much sleep most anywhere, including planes, so I generally get three hours sleep on an eastbound trans-Atlantic flight. I try to get in as much outdoor activity as possible on the first day in Europe (sunlight does wonders) and then try to stay up until 9:30 or so the first evening.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T SLEEP ON AN OVERNIGHT FLIGHT... I flew from Rome to Zurich to Boston and developed blood clots in my lungs and nearly lost my life!!!! I slept almost the entire time.. I am now suffering the consequences of this. If you have a companion with you have them get you up to walk around...four days in the Special Care Unit in a touch and go situation with Cardiologists Pulmonary M.D.s telling me I had a close call is enough for me. Next time I wear rubber stockings too.

I've found I can use a cheap, inflatable beach ball as a head/upper body rest to get comfortable. (Esp. useful for those in a middle seat w/nothing to lean against. For most of us, the tray tables are not high enough to support our heads/upper bodies.) Just blow it up (who cares if you look like a dork while doing it?)as much as you need. Place it in your lap and lean your head and arms onto it for support. I usually like to lay part of a blanket or anything made of fabric over it to avoid having my skin next to the plastic. It's easy to bring along when it's deflated. While you may not need or want to stay in that position for hours, it's a nice change of position for a while.

Also, since we are on the comfort subject, I'd like to make an appeal. My husband is 6'3". Paying the price for a business class or first class seat is out of the question for us, and it's not easy to get the exit rows or bulkhead seats, esp. on long flts. So people, PLEASE be considerate when you want to recline your seat and don't just suddenly SLAM it back. You could be crashing into someone's knees who is already having enough trouble angling their legs to fit behind your seat. Then if you recline and realize you have someone's knees digging into the back of your seat, please move forward just a tad. This will eliminate the pressure on your seat and make it easier for the person behind you as well. Thanks. (I hope!)

I have spent some time at a sleep clinic in recent months and have been told that drinking alcohol close to the time you want to sleep (within 3 hours) is not a good idea. It can get you to sleep initially but interrupts sleep later.

<<<People do not automatically develop blood clots from sleeping on an overnight flight. Something else was going on with your health for that to happen.>>>

The first part of the statement is true. DVTs are not automatic when sleeping on an overnight flight. The second part - well, would that it were so, but it is not - although things going on with your health can multiply the risk. The cause of DVTs is being in a cramped position where movement is difficult for an extended period of time. An important function of muscle is to move venous blood along. When the leg muscles are not used the circulation is slowed and it is the slowdown of circulation that is the cause of DVT. Under those conditions, the risk of DVT is increased and can happen to anyone - even to the healthiest person. The less the movement, the greater the risk. There are other physical and other factors that multiply this risk. Tall stature or obesity further restrict movement. Certain hormone therapies such as contraceptive pills or replacement therapies also multiply risk as of course does certain diseases or other clotting disorder. One person can have several of these multipliers and in that case the DVT incidence shoots way up, but to reiterate, none of these other factors need be present. It is the lack of movement itself that is the culprit. This is not confined to flights, but any venue where movement is restricted or otherwise is significantly reduced.

No, people will not automatically develop blood cloths, but taking something strong to sleep, during a long flight, may increase the risk of those in danger of developing them. Because they are not moving at all during several hours.

Also, as a flight attendant on longhaul flights, I have seen people being sick because of sleeping pills, people walking around drowsy and hurting themself (and guess who they blame afterwards ?),people not waking up at arrival !
And people having serious medical problems. But because they are out of it, how can we now what they've taken, if they need medication,if this is something that has happened to them before ?
And taking alcohol with medication ? Wow, how bad can it get ?

I have taken Ambien and our flight did not take off and I was able to get up without a problem.

So, I recommend it and outside of the package insert, with a glass of red wine.

I don't recommend Xanax, it's not meant for sleep but for anxiety."

my doctor prescribes Xanax to help me sleep....it maybe able to reduce anxiety also but many MDs prescribe it specifically
to aid in falling to sleep as the primary DX...

I was in the hospital three weeks on my back..the MD charted me three options to help me sleep..Ambien...Xanax...or Ativan 1mg IV push.....in the hospital i chose the Ativan IV and was out in 2 minutes..LOL......bliss....after i was released, I chose the Xanax...0.5....

I have taken Ambien for international flights for years and it has generally worked well. Two caviats:
1. I tried it once on a flight from Rome - NYC that left in the morning. I just wanted to sleep to pass the time, but I wasn't tired. Well, I never fell asleep, just spent the flight in a groggy fog that was worse than being awake.
2. I took one before bed after arriving home from Egypt to try and get my body back on California time. I slept well. In the morning, while driving to the gym, I noticed that I seemed to be taking longer to step on the brake at the first two stoplights. At the third stoplight, I rear-ended the car in front of me. First accident of my life.